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Food Insight's blog

Summer is finally here. For many, this means barbecues, vacations, celebrations, and relaxation. Summer is a time to come out of indoor hibernation and spend time getting back in touch with nature and the great outdoors. This summer, consider also celebrating and reconnecting with your natural hunger cues through intuitive eating.

Known as the “harvested seeds of grasses”, humans have been consuming grains for thousands of years. From maize (corn) originating in Mexico, to rice in Asia, to wheat in the Middle East, grains are diet staples in most cultures. In fact, these three account for 51% of the calories consumed globally. Grains seem to be everywhere, but now its time to take a hearty bite into the bounty.

Listeria (Listeria monocytogenes) pops up in the news every so often with stories of it being found in places like cookie dough or even in refrigerator door linings. It seems as though Listeria monocytogenes has the potential to grow in the strangest of places. This unique quality is primarily attributed to Listeria’s ability to grow at the near freezing temperatures of refrigerators and freezers.

Imagine a beautiful, orange Monarch butterfly flying around your garden. Do you know why it’s there? Do you know what would happen if it wasn’t there? Probably not. But, this beautiful butterfly can pollinate all of the flowers in your garden and make it possible for more flowers to grow!

Lead has been getting a lot of attention in the media recently. Questions linger about lead’s impact on health and ways in which we get exposed to it. To set the record straight, we spoke to a leading expert on pediatric health and nutrition, Dr. Keith Ayoob, Ed. D., associate clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, to get his perspective. Here’s what Dr. Ayoob had to say:

While it’s always important to drink enough fluids to stay hydrated, this habit becomes especially important in the summertime. It’s hot and sweaty out there, which means our bodies are losing water to keep us cool.

We invite you to meet Julie Hess, this year’s Sylvia Rowe Fellow. Julie is finishing her Ph.D. in human nutrition at the University of Minnesota and has bachelors’ degrees in English and French from the University of Texas at Austin.

Registered Dietitian (RD): a food and nutrition expert who goes through rigorous academic and clinical nutrition training, culiminating in a standardized exam. When it comes food and health advice, RD's will give you the facts, but have you ever wondered what these health nuts have in their bags? Well, now you can find out! The RD’s of Food Insight are opening their purses (or man-purses) to give a look into what they carry with them every day. Check it out and you may be surprised – it’s not just snacks!

Lead (Pb) is a naturally occurring mineral that’s found throughout our environment. In the U.S., we are exposed to lead through a number of sources including soil, air, water, dust and paint. At much smaller levels, lead can be detected in many plant based foods and beverages.